Search

Search only in certain items:

Warrick (Rocky Mountain Pack #2)
Warrick (Rocky Mountain Pack #2)
Liza Bee | 2025 | Paranormal, Romance
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
WARRICK is the second book in the Rocky Mountain Pack series, and although the official line was that you don't have to have read the first book to enjoy this one, I think it would have been slightly better if I had. That said, I still enjoyed this one.

Warrick and Aspen were dating when Warrick cheated on her. Then, as if that wasn't bad enough, he has another girl grinding in his lap when their bond snaps into place. This pattern continued for four years until Warrick stormed into Aspen's workplace and demanded she accept the bond. Yep, Warrick is a d!ck! During this time, Aspen has been heartbroken again and again, until she has a situationship with a mountain lion shifter called Chase. He basically keeps her sane when Warrick is pushing all her buttons.

The unusual thing with this second-chance romance book is that the reader actually sees Warrick acting like an immature teenager (because he was) and cheating on Aspen on multiple occasions. Usually, the book will start with them trying to repair the past hurts. Now, don't get me wrong, Warrick was also trying to do that too, once he got his head out of his a$$, but still, I thought it a bold move by the author to actually show that.

I found it to be well-paced with plenty of secondary characters to support their storyline. I wasn't completely invested in the characters or their story, but I did enjoy what I read. I would continue with this series.

** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Apr 18, 2025
  
Fatman (2020)
Fatman (2020)
2020 | Action, Comedy, Thriller
7
7.7 (6 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Billy Wenan (Chance Hurstfield) is a very spoiled, entitled, and sadistic young boy. He has the advantages of privilege and lives with his wealthy Grandmother but is rude and condescending to the staff. Billy is also very arrogant and petty to the point that a Runner Up finish at his private school Science Fair after a string of wins motivates him to hire a Hitman (Walton Goggins) to intimidate the victor to falsely admit to cheating so he can claim victory.

This is not the first time Billy has hired the Hitman and when he gets a lump of coal for Christmas from Santa (Mel Gibson) he is enraged and hires the Hitman to take out Santa.

Santa has his own issues as a decline in revenue has forced him and his wife Ruth (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) to take on a project with the government to not only restore his fully stipend but to pay additional funds that will ensure financial stability.

The fact that the Hitman has his own reasons for having issues with Santa further motivates him to take the job and rushed north to face Santa on his own turf.

“Fatman” is a dark and entertaining new holiday entry that gives a contemporary take on Santa and his Elves as they must contend with the issues, politics, and changing world that face many companies.

The at times dark nature of the film is an interesting contrast to the usual overly sweet films that are commonplace this time of year and Gibson and Goggins backed by a strong supporting cast turn in memorable performances.

While not one for the kids; “Fatman” is a solid piece of entertainment and Eshom and Ian Nelms keep things moving at a steady pace and provide an interesting and contemporary look at Santa in the modern world and combine it with a story about finding a way through adversity.
  
40x40

Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Hostage in Books

Jul 1, 2021  
Hostage
Hostage
Clare Mackintosh | 2021 | Crime, Thriller
8
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
You'll never want to fly again! ;)
Mina is a flight attendant scheduled for the inaugural non-stop flight from London to Sydney. There is much press and fanfare for the big flight, but Mina is mostly relieved it gets her a few days away from Adam, her estranged husband. The two have been torn apart by his cheating and the difficulties of parenting their young daughter. However, once the plane takes off, Mina receives a note telling her that she must make a terrifying decision, one that forces her to choose between her job and her family.

"Everyone wants a piece of Flight 79. Everyone wants to make history."

Whew, what a tense and stressful thriller! It had a slow start to building up all the drama--it is a lie that it all takes place on a plane, as we get some backstory to Mina and Adam's relationship before Mina steps on said fateful plane. For me, that part dragged a bit. Once she's on the plane, things pick up and it's a fairly twisty and taut journey.

The book flips between Mina and Adam's perspectives, along with some of the plane's passengers. It's a little hard to keep everyone straight, though it's clear from the passenger's narration that something is not right with this flight. Mackintosh, as always, is great at building up the uneasiness. Adam is not the most sympathetic of characters, and I wanted to yell and scream at him during many of his chapters. Their poor child--what parents she has!

It's a unique idea here, and for the most part, it's executed well. Mackintosh gives us a lot to think about, between Mina's situation and some of her other plot points. The story is stressful and intense, leaving you to wonder what on earth will happen next (and perhaps question any desire to take a plane ever again). The ending, too, is excellent. 4 stars.
  
The Push
The Push
Ashley Audrain | 2021 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
10
8.3 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
The protagonist in this book is a nameless woman, a daughter, a wife, a mother, and this story is told from her perspective, kind of. The woman is telling us her life story: how she met her husband, about her pregnancy and her troubles with her daughter Violet, and other events that traumatise her for life. The characters in this book are quite disturbed, intense and very complex. For some strange reason, I could really relate to the protagonist. I understood her and her thoughts resonated with mine sometimes.

At the beginning of the book, I was not very impressed, I had no idea what it was about. But the more I got into it, the more absorbed I became. The narrative has several different lines and is telling the story of women from three generations. The protagonist is sharing the deepest and scariest thoughts of her life, and it got very intense for me sometimes. I really enjoyed the suspense, turns and twists. The topics discussed in this book are marriage, pregnancies, lack of motherhood instinct, mother-daughter relationship, children behavioural issues, grief, depression, trauma and many more.

The book is set somewhere American sounding (might be Canada), the atmosphere of this book is pretty dark and shrouded with mystery. I really liked the writing style of this novel, it is very honest, detailed and the mystery was kept perfectly. The chapters are pretty short, so this book was a true page-turner for me. I really loved the ending, because I was pretty confused with some stuff happening in the book, but the ending kind of clarified it for me. I have to throw in a warning, that this book has triggers when it comes to pregnancies, cheating, death of children, grief, psychotic behaviour.

So, to conclude, this book is a very intense life story, filled with very well crafted characters, that are intriguing, absorbing and the plot that is layered, complex and brutally honest.
  
Playing with Fire (Magical Romantic Comedies #1)
Playing with Fire (Magical Romantic Comedies #1)
R.J. Blain | 2017 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This review and more can be found at my blog
https://aromancereadersreviews.blogspot.com
A Romance Reader's Reviews

This one starts with Bailey working at the coffee shop where she makes drinks for its regular but unusual breed of customers from humans to pixies to werewolves, adding a pinch of dust to each drink to give them a high. Her nemesis, Chief Quinn, comes in and she makes him a drink before he heads out, taking her boss with him, leaving Bailey to work an 18 hour shift alone. Jealously flares within Bailey as she's had a thing for Quinn since he asked her to find proof of his wife's cheating. When Bailey is asked by Quinn's former brother-in-law to help her find someone, she's reluctant but agrees, and is handed a phone. Only the phone isn't all that it seems setting in motion a series of events that throws her into Quinn's life more than either bargained for.

I enjoyed the first 40% of this more than the latter 60%. The beginning was fun and quirky. I loved the sort of love/hate thing she had going on with Quinn. I enjoyed the banter between her and some of the other cops and it was just up my street. It just seemed their will they/won't they get together thing was concluded too early in the book and I was wondering what the rest of the book would be about. It lost some of its appeal for me after the weird Gorgon vomit scene. And then I just struggled to connect with it again. I soldiered on, determined to finish it.

I also found Quinn's family very complicated. He has almost every type of creature in his family tree from angels to incubus to gorgon but he is very much human and I couldn't keep track of who was who half of the time.

I liked it enough that I'd buy more of this series.
  
The Poppy War (The Poppy War #1)
The Poppy War (The Poppy War #1)
R.F. Kuang | 2018 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
9
9.3 (6 Ratings)
Book Rating
47 of 220
Book
The poppy War ( Book 1)
By R.F. Kuang
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When Rin aced the Keju – the test to find the most talented students in the Empire – it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who had hoped to get rich by marrying her off; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free from a life of servitude. That she got into Sinegard – the most elite military school in Nikan – was even more surprising.

But surprises aren’t always good.

Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Fighting the prejudice of rival classmates, Rin discovers that she possesses a lethal, unearthly power – an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of psychoactive substances and a seemingly insane teacher, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive – and that mastering these powers could mean more than just surviving school.

For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most people calmly go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away

I was really nervous going into this book as I tried to read Babel and really hated it!
But this was another level I absolutely loved it. I really enjoyed part 1 but the part 2 was even better and that ending was definitely worth it. This didn’t hold back on the details either really really good read. So much to take in and I love anything to do with the gods.